Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
Parallel translations
- WEB When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’
- KJV Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
- BSB When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’
- NASB And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
- NLT When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They ask when they saw him sick or imprisoned and came to him. Their good works were unselfconscious acts of love.
Overview
The repeated question highlights how the righteous served Christ unknowingly through the vulnerable. They were not motivated by recognition or reward but by compassion. This pattern of humble, unwitting service characterizes those truly united to Christ. It teaches that genuine faith expresses itself in love that looks away from itself.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 25:39 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.